Meet Ivelisse Rivera, farm manager at MOFGA certified organic Darthia Farm in Gouldsboro.Darthia Farm is owned by Cynthia and Bill Thayer, who, with their family, hire help and MOFGA apprentices, raise produce, herbs and livestock and sell their produce, fiber products, and jams, jellies and other goods from their commercial kitchen at their farm store, at farmers’ markets, through their CSA and through their catalog.

Washington County berry harvest bountifulBangor Daily News - 8/21/2012. By Tom Walsh – Cherryfield: Down East Maine is swimming in wild blueberries, as growers large and small report a plentiful crop as the annual harvest winds down. “It’s been a good year, and we’ll go into September,” said David Yeattes, farm manager for Cherryfield Foods, which harvests 4,600 acres of berries in Washington County.

USDA scientist: Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide damages soilMother Earth News - 8/19/2012. By Tom Philpott – What Roundup is doing aboveground may be a stroll through the meadow compared to its effect below. According to USDA scientist Robert Kremer, who spoke at a conference last week, Roundup may also be damaging soil—a sobering thought, given that it's applied to hundreds of millions of acres of prime farmland in the United States and South America.

Maine vintner paving the way for truly local wineriesPortland Press Herald - 8/15/2012. By Joe Appel – Steve Melchiskey has a dream. "I truly believe there's a future for 10 to 12 good wineries in southern and coastal Maine that use only grapes grown on their properties." Melchiskey's Maine Coast Vineyards (distributed in Maine by Mariner Beverages) is the first, and he's working hard to create a culture that nourishes more. But it's going to take time.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center, Unity. Keynote speaker John Aber and a panel of farmers focus on weather- and climate-related changes farmers are experiencing. Includes open discussion on strategies for farmers to deal with changing climate. Information and registration.

Thursday, 10 a.m. to noon, Houlton Higher Education Center, Rm 110, 18 Military St, Houlton. Presented by Eric Sideman, Crop Specialist, MOFGA. Hosted by the Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District. The class is the second in a three-part high tunnel series funded by the Broad Reach Fund of the Maine Community Foundation. 1 pesticide credit is available through the class. A complementary lunch will be served. Pre-registration is requested. Contact the SASWCD at 532-2087 x 101 or angela.wotton@me.nacdnet.net

11 a.m., Bernard Osher Foundation Auditorium, Portland Museum of Art. Join this panel of experts on local sustainability in their discussion of the importance of public food forests, public orcharding, edible street trees, permablitzing and community gardens. A Community Collaboration between Portland Museum of Art and MOFGA. Free for PMA and MOFGA members ($10 for the general public). Schedule and details.

Two-part course designed to provide farmers with a strong background in soils, weeds and pest management, enabling them to make good management decisions. Lectures by Eric Sideman, MOFGA's organic crop specialist, and local farmers. Information and registration.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Locations: Palermo with Angus Deighan; Beech Hill Farm, Mount Desert with C.J. Walke; or Kermit Nickerson School, Swanville with Sean Murphy. Do you have old trees on your land that you would like to bring back into production? Learn how to renovate and tend your heritage trees. $50 non-members; $35 members. Information and registration.

6:30 p.m., Bernard Osher Foundation Auditorium, Portland Museum of Art. Hear Christy Hemenway from Gold Star Honeybees, Heather Spalding, MOFGA deputy director, and Fedco Seeds founder CR Lawn talk about our pollinators and the national and local issues that concern them and our food supply. Maine honey and mead tasting to follow. A Community Collaboration between Portland Museum of Art and MOFGA. Free for PMA and MOFGA members ($10 for the general public). Schedule and details.